UCF Women's Basketball

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Successful people are at risk of forgetting where they came from. They often lose touch with the young professional who worked 16-hour days to attain a loftier position. They sometimes forget about the child who dreamed of being in the spotlight as an entertainer or athlete. They occasionally find the responsibilities that come with fame and wealth to be more a burden than a privilege. Case in point: a routine ball signing when I was with the Celtics. When requests came in for signed basketballs for a
charity or a school or an individual, the players would pass the balls around
the locker room sign them, and deposit them in a bag in the center. Then I
would sign them. Once, when I removed the balls from the bag, I found that only
two players had legible signatures. The balls were covered with indecipherable
scrawls.I got on the guys. I said, “You work all your life to get to the point
where people want your autograph, and nobody can even read you signature. Every
ounce of perspiration you left on the playgrounds, every hour you put into
footwork drills and conditioning and studying film – all of that was done to reach
this level and play for the Boston Celtics. Don’t scribble your name and
number. Be proud of your name and number that you work so hard to make
valuable.From Rebound Rules by Rick Pitino

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

To be truly open to the critiques of others, you
must have developed the ability to listen. Listening is learning. Hear every
voice that contains value to you. Don’t interrupt them, and don’t spend your
time thinking of what you’re going to say next – actually listen to the points
they’re making. Soak it in. It takes practice to fully lock in on someone and
what they’re saying: practice and patience.

We have to train ourselves to make listening a singular task, not something that's done while we're busy with something else. These days, we as Americans are so busy multitasking that our listening seems to be at an all-time low. We're reading emails while talking on the phone. We're texting someone while in the company of others. Here's irony for you. Amid the avalanche of new communication methods, truly productive two-way-conversation is becoming a lost art. If you can't make the time to listen to feedback, you're not going to get better.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Joe Paterno was one of college football’s most
admired and successful coaches. Every football player at Penn State is familiar
with the “Blue Line” that divides the campus and the school’s football complex.
Papa Joe tells each student athlete that before he crosses that imaginary blue
line on the way to practice or when he leaves his locker for a game, he expects
him to dump all his worries and concerns. Once he steps across the line, he
cannot be thinking about what grade he made on yesterday’s math test or
daydreaming about tomorrow nights date. The moment he crosses the threshold,
his mind she be focused on Penn State football and nothing else. If it isn’t he
is shortchanging himself as an athlete. He is also hurting the team. He is not
full present to win.

“A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and
have the courage, the determinations, the dedication, the competitive drive,
and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price
for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done. Once a man has made a
commitment, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. Its something
we call heart power. Once a made this commitment, nothing will stop him short
of success.”

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Dick Hannula, one of the most
successful high school swimming coaches in the country said, “Motivation
depends in a very large part on goal setting. The coach must have goals. The
team must have goals. Each individual swimmer must have goals – real, vivid,
living goals. Goals keep everyone on target. Goals must be high enough to
excite you, yet no so high that you cannot vividly imagine them. Most must be
attainable, but just out of reach for now.”

Goal setting is a way of bringing the
future into the present so you can take action now. Goals improve performance.
Goals improve the quality of practices. They clarify expectations and help
increase self-confidence by seeing yourself get better. Goals also increase the
motivation to achieve.

Professional golfer Greg Norman said, “Setting goals for your game is an
art. The trick is in setting them at the right level, neither to low nor too
high. A good goals should be lofty enough to inspire hard work, yet realistic
enough to provide solid hope of attainment.”